Dinosaur BBQ - Harlem

He's not the bouncer.

Before my recent visit to Dinosaur BBQ, I was unaware of this apparently massive subculture of black biker gangs, who also love good bbq. I don't know if it's because it was the weekend before the 4th of July, or if this is like an unofficial (or official, who knows) meeting spot, but the front entrance was completely mobbed with motorcycles and bikers all clad in customized leather vests. It was, how you say, very awesome.


Unfortunately, that was the best I could do in terms of getting a panoramic shot because A.) the sidewalk and half the street was crowded with bikes and bikers, and cars cruising by, and B.) I was a little nervous about blatantly trying to photograph a bunch of scary biker dudes and their biker chicks from a distance of about 5 feet - i.e. basically in their faces.


Sauces.

Fortunately, I was brilliant enough to have the foresight to call and make a reservation beforehand - highly recommended. Upon approaching the hostess stand, I heard the guy before me ask for a table for two, and was told it would be an hour and a half. He didn't seem surprised or inconvenienced, and just walked over to the bar to patiently drink a beer and watch the live band until his name got called. The inside was just as packed as the outside.
We three, however, were seated within minutes. Good call, me.
The menu has a variety of combination platters, appetizers, and sides, but we were focused on one thing: ribs. So we quickly decided on a combination of a rack of pork ribs and beef brisket, with pork and beans and (mostly ornamental) simmered greens on the side.
But first, to start, a plate of fried green tomatoes, since I had never had them before.


Proudly presented by our friendly server, in Blurry Susan Vision™.


And on their own.
They tasted like...fried. That's pretty much it. I couldn't really detect any tomato flavor or texture in there. I tried dipping it in the buttermilk dressing, and it tasted like fried dipped in buttermilk dressing. Then I poured some of the Dinosaur Habanero Hot Sauce (tasty but mild) onto it, and I think you can guess what that tasted like. So, there you go.

No matter. There was really just one reason we were there, which arrived shortly thereafter.



It looks like less food than it is, but that was a hefty helping that managed to fill the three of us up (along with some beers, of course). I think I tried a taste of the meager portion of brisket, seen at the top right of the plate. I can't remember what it tasted like, as I was so intensely focused on the ribs, and the amount of brisket they gave was such that there was just enough for each of us to have a bite or two. The beans were tasty enough, and even contained a couple of sizable bonus chunks of tender pork. The ribs, however, stole the show, and not just because of the quantity. Tender, meaty, smoky. You could taste the slow-cooking...ness. I'm not going to say these were mind-blowing, but they tasted exactly the way one imagines good bbq ribs should.

And here's the money-shot:


Not blurry! HOORAY!
Just some sexay soft focus (I think my lens is greasy).

If you click to zoom (you should) and look at the file name, it's 'hcporkrib.' The 'hc' is for hardcore.


Dinosaur BBQ
646 W 131st St. (at Riverside Drive)
New York, NY 10027
212-694-1777